Labor secretary, senator to tour Baltimore nonprofit

Labor Secretary Tom Perez and Sen. Ben Cardin are set to tour a Baltimore nonprofit and talk about the importance of innovative job-training strategies.

Perez and Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, will tour the BioTechnical Institute of Maryland on Friday. The nonprofit provides tuition-free training in basic lab skills to prepare Maryland residents for jobs in the biotechnology industry. It then works with local companies to fill open positions.

After touring the institute, Perez and Cardin will speak to reporters and host a roundtable discussion with students, graduates and employers.

President Barack Obama signed a bill this week that seeks to promote job-training strategies like those used at the Baltimore institute.